When the Sunlight Disappears
by Matriaya
Summary: Angel and Cordelia are trapped in a collapsed building. (thats always fun! hehe!) r/r please!
1. Chapter 1

The rank scent of death and destruction mixed with bitterness of smoke choked the air. Debris from the partially collapsed building scattered the ground, blocking for the moment any possible exit. The building, which had been a vampire fortress a few short hours earlier, had been reduced to a large pile of ruble with little pockets of space wedged in between large slabs of concrete. In one of these small pockets is where Angel found himself trapped. He and Wesley had gone to empty out the vamp hideout, and Cordelia had unknowingly came along to help. Posing as a "present" to the boss from another unknown vampire, she managed to worm her way into the compound using a seductress act, a slinky little red silk dress, and a pair of strappy heels. Had he a heart, it would've exploded at the sight of her. Buffy often wore provocative clothing, but she paled in comparison to the usually sweet and innocent but now teasing and tantalizing Cordelia Chase. Cordy stationed herself in the main chamber, conveniently along-side Nikolas, the leader of the vampire gang, which is where the two men had found her. She managed to stake Nikolas before he realized what was happening; saving Angel the trouble of fighting the strongest one. It left him with only the followers and weaklings; humans and vampires alike. What none of them planned on though was Nikolas's "last resort." As an attempt to destroy his killer, he planted a self-destruct device. Once his body turned to ashes, everyone had 5 minutes to get out before the solid fortress was reduced to unstable rubble. Nikolas forgot to mention that little detail even to his closest advisors, because when the building blew, everyone had looks of fear and shock. Most didn't survive. Every half-hour or so the anguished cries of the scared and trapped were heard, echoing through the screaming silence of the night. Wesley, he knew, had gone for the car and was out of the building when it blew. Cordy, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky.  
  
Angel's throat tightened in fear and dread. Pictures of Cordelia's mangled body stared wickedly back at him every time he closed his eyes.  
  
'Why'd you have to be so stupid?' he silently asked his missing partner, venomously. 'Why couldn't you have just stayed back like you were told?'  
  
The dust and ash burned his eyes and throat like fire, but still he continued on, plunging deeper into the darkness in search of her. Bodies of the dead and dying were scattered through what used to be hallways and rooms. Some were pinned under things, others impaled on rocks and metal poles. Most were dead. Those who clung to life he killed, for the mere sake of ending their misery. His mad search wasn't for survivors though, only Cordy. She was all that mattered, getting her out alive. He threw big concrete slabs across the rooms as if they were tinkertoys, due to his great vampiric strength. Yet even the immortal weaken. As the minutes ticked by, the energy in his lead muscular body began to slowly drain. More and more he felt the weight of the obstacles. His injuries, though slowly healing, hampered his rescue efforts as well.  
  
"Cordy, be alive!" he shouted into the endless blackness. His voice caught in his throat as he half-sobbed out "please."  
  
"Angel." Faintly he heard his name, as if murmured by the afternoon breeze. His heightened senses pricked to their fullest. He stood absolutely still, waiting - praying - for another hint of life. The seconds went by like hours, with no response. His soul grew heavy with the though of his own senses deceiving him. But no! He heard it, low rasping breathing coming from somewhere off to the right. The cavern was relatively large, lit only by the moonbeams that leaked in from the small gapes in the ceiling. Quickly he scanned the room for any sign of his friend. Out of the corner of his eye, the tiniest speck of red flashed in amongst the dull gray of the debris. Hope surged through him. Cordy! With lightening fast speed he was at her side. Both relief and despair claimed him at the sight of her.  
  
"Oh god." Angel murmured, kneeling down next to her. "Cordelia."  
  
Weakly her eyelids fluttered open, revealing endless cinnamon pools beneath. He could tell right off the bat she was in trouble. 'Maybe it has something to do with the fact that her legs are stuck under a god damn slab of concrete!' he thought dryly, reviewing the situation. Whether or not her legs were crushed he had yet to determine, but nevertheless she was pinned under the rock.  
  
"Cordy, can you hear me?" he asked.  
  
Gently, he ran his fingers through the soft mass of spilling curls that encircled her head like a halo. She had put it up in such a way, with black lipstick and heavy mascara, to try and win over Nikolas's attention.  
  
'Well it worked,' he told her silently. 'You look absolutely stunning.'  
  
In sharp contrast to the red and black she donned, her face and skin had slipped several shades paler.  
  
"Angel?" Cordelia tried to focus on his face, but apparently was having a hard time.  
  
"It's me Cordy," he told her softly. "I'm here."  
  
The smallest flicker of a smile crossed over her face and her features softened.  
  
"Wh. what happened?" she asked, her voice tired and bewildered. He smiled down at her, thanking all the Gods he hadn't already killed off that she was alive.  
  
"The building blew up," he said with warmth in his voice, as if to soften the blow. "We're trapped inside."  
  
The general message got through, and her eyes opened wide with alarm.  
  
"What?!?" she shrieked, shooting up.  
  
Sitting up, she found, was an impossible task. The panic on her face only increased when she realized with full clarity that she was indeed trapped.  
  
"Oh God Angel! I." Cordelia settled into full panic mode. "I can't move! I'm stuck! Oh God, please help me! Angel I."  
  
"Cordelia." His tone was low and firm, silencing her at once. "I'm going to try and lift this thing off you okay? I need you to lie still."  
  
Her breath came out in low, shallow pants as she nodded, and lowered herself to the floor. With all the energy from the sudden adrenaline rush gone from her body, even keeping her eyes open seemed and impossible task.  
  
'How the hell am I gonna get this thing off of her?' Angel thought.  
  
He craved blood profusely, and that plus the heavy lifting had deprived him of nearly all his natural strength. Standing up from his crouched position seemed hard enough, much less hauling a mongo concrete slab off the body of this imprisoned friend. As he looked down at her limp body, and the paleness of her usually tanned skin, he knew what he had to do.  
  
"Lie still," he murmured a final time, stroking her hair gently. With a silent groan, he shoved himself to his feet. A save of dizziness washed over him, and he nearly toppled over.  
  
'No!' he screamed at himself. 'I must do this for Cordy!'  
  
Mustering every ounce of remaining strength he had left, Angel grabbed two corners of the 5 by 3 cement block and heaved with all his might. Every muscle, nerve, and bone in his body protested under the weight of the massive object. A soft whimper escaped Cordelia, one that tore and every fiber of his being. He wanted badly to reassure her, to tell her that everything would be over in a few seconds, but that would take extra energy. Extra energy he didn't have. Angel silently rejoiced as the block moved higher and higher in the air. His legs shook like leaves as he hoisted it into the air and threw it 10 feet across the cavern. With a loud crack in hit the wall, instantly shattering into a million pieces. Like a gunshot, the deafening roar of the contravention echoed through the crumbled building. The last of his energy drained, angel collapsed on the ground beside Cordelia. 


	2. Chapter 2

Several long minutes went by and he didn't move. Cordelia had full expected him to chuck the slab and they would both run like hell to the nearest exit. Yet he wasn't moving. A slow rivulet of fear trickled into her heart, goaded by the growing silence.  
  
'Of course he doesn't have a heart. He's a bloody vampire!' she reassured herself at the absence of his heartbeat.  
  
Her own heart was pounding loud enough for the both of them. Still, the lack of activity from her usually always-energetic friend irked her more than a little.  
  
"Angel?" she whispered out softly in the dark to him.  
  
Even turning her head to look at him was too laborious. Seconds dropped away and her worry multiplied. With all the strength she could muster she pushed herself up onto her hands and looked at the vampire lying beside her. What she saw frightened her almost more than the silence.  
  
He lay limp, like a ragdoll. His black leather jacket was smudged with dust from the cement, as was his hair. The normally pale tone in his skin had cone nearly white, and his head moved unconsciously from side to side - his eyelids fluttering.  
  
"Angel!" she cried out.  
  
One arm collapsed under her. She lay half on top of him, supported by one arm and his broad chest. A weaving band of moonlight fluttered down of the gap in the ceiling and danced across his rugged face. With visible effort he forced his eyes to open and he stared up at her.  
  
"Cordy." he murmured a soft smile played across his blanch lips.  
  
It sent pains to her heart to see him in such a helpless state.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked him, her voice choked with concern. "Why are you so weak?"  
  
Angel was caught at this question. He couldn't very well tell her he searched with great passionate intensity to find her could he? It would draw scandalous gossip from the others if they ever found out.  
  
'Its true.' He admitted to himself awkwardly. 'I wouldn't have searched so hard for anyone but her.'  
  
"I. I didn't have anything to eat today." He stuttered out.  
  
That was mostly true. In his rush to right the wrongs of the world, he hadn't had any blood and it was surely taking its toll. Cordelia looked down on him as a mother might a forgetful young boy. He weakly chuckled despite their grave situation.  
  
"Well, this is a tricky little predicament we've landed ourselves into isn't it Angel?" she said with a lightness that amused him.  
  
She shut her eyes for a moment in contemplation. He took that time to study her. She was a dark angel of seduction and beauty. Her lips were black rose petals, soft and sultry. Long midnight eyelashes hid velvet pools of hazel enchantment. Her hair, normally straight with a slight wave, were ringlet curls of pure silk spilling over her creamy milk-white skin.  
  
His description, though deadly accurate, stunned him immensely. This was Cordelia Chase, his business partner and best friend, and not an ex-lover like Buffy. Such thoughts were not permitted about her, no matter how hauntingly beautiful she looked.  
  
'What the hell am I thinking?'  
  
Even as he scolded himself, mental images overrode his brain. Bad mental images. Of Cordelia. Angel squeezed his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to stop the onslaught of fantasies, but nothing worked. The fire in her eyes called out to him, the innocence in her spirit exciting him.  
  
"Drink from me."  
  
The almost husky tone in her voice nearly drove him crazy. The words, like a siren's call at sea, tempted him dangerously. Only when he stared up at her did the realization sink in.  
  
She wasn't kidding.  
  
His eyes grew wide with surprise and shock.  
  
  
  
'What the.'  
  
"Cordy, no." Instantly, he scoffed the idea.  
  
"Drink from her? Is she crazy?'  
  
Though the thought of sinking his teeth into that tender throat of hers was beyond paradise.  
  
'No!'  
  
"Angel you have no strength!" she protested loudly. He just shook his head.  
  
"Neither do you." He countered. Though she tried to prove him wrong, the weariness in her eyes betrayed her.  
  
With an exasperated sigh she leaned her forehead against his chest for a moment to regain her bearings.  
  
'Somehow I've got to make him understand!'  
  
When her head snapped up again, there was a passionate determination that nearly made him cringe. "Listen Angel," she told him firmly. "If you don't get blood and regain your strength, neither of us wil make it out of here."  
  
Though he hated profusely to admit it, her arguments were correct.  
  
"I could kill you." He said softly, looking up at her delicate face.  
  
"I don't care." She answered instantly.  
  
The look of peace in her eyes told him everything. She hoped for the best, but if the time came, she was willing to die to save him.  
  
Gently, so as not to frighten her, he sat up and lay her down. With one hand supporting her head and the other on her back, he hovered above her for a moment.  
  
'Do it!' she urged him silently.  
  
His gaze held hers for several seconds, though it passed like eternity. She understood what she had to do and he, though not willingly, accepted it. One question still haunted him though.  
  
'What if I can't make myself stop?'  
  
With pain-staking slowness he brought his head down to her neck. The rapid fluttering of her heart mixed with the smell of fear unleashed a carnal desire unlike anything he'd experienced. Instantly his face morphed into that of a vampire. Fangs bared, he traced the hollow of her throat with his tongue, tasting the salty sweetness of her skin. With one quick motion he took her, the razor points of his teeth sinking into her throat.  
  
(A/N = next part up! Thanks all of you for reviewing! I'd thank each of you individually here for reviewing, but that takes up waaaaaaayyyy too much so I'll just email yall. Sound good? Okay so toodles! Thanks again! P.s. did anyone else see that thing in the "New Sunday Night WB" where they had adds for all the new season? Angel kissed Cordy! He did! Ahhh! Okay, buyerz) 


	3. Chapter 3

The first drop of her blood on his lips drove him wild. He fought to keep at bay the demon inside him, who thrashed about; fighting for release. Drinking her blood was like tasting heaven, so sweet and innocent. The sound of her beating heart was divinity to his ears. He hadn't tasted a warm human body in decades. Not since Angelus.  
  
At the thought of his former life, all reality came rushing back to him. He could feel all his self-restraint slipping away with each passing beat of her heart. His fingers curled around her hair. A renewed sense of strength washed over him. Not his usual power, but it was returning.  
  
Cordelia's mind hummed with pleasure. Being a vampire's victim had been described as anything from painful to downright sexual. This was beyond sexual though. this was sweet agony. Smoke rose in her veins, clouding her brain of every sensible thought except the warm feeling of angel's mouth at her neck, and the pure ecstasy he had inflicted on her.  
  
Unknowingly, her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, her head bent back in pleasure, offering him more. A disconnected, almost dizzy feeling mingled with the onslaught of sensual temptations.  
  
"Angel." she moaned out his name, her words slurred with desire.  
  
Cordelia's voice brought Angel back from the heaven he was in. It reminded him ever so erotically that he couldn't' finish her as every cell in his entire being cried out to do. With painstaking care, he drew out his fangs, shutting away the monster inside him. A few tiny drops of blood remained, like red roses against milk-white water.  
  
Delicately he licked them up, kissing her neck to banish away any pain he may have caused. His face shifted back into that of a human as he continued to lavish her neck with soft kisses. He somehow couldn't bring himself to break contact with her silken skin. Reluctantly, he forced himself to draw away and look at her face.  
  
She was gasping for breath, with a dazed expression. Her chocolate eyes were alive with emotion, which both confused and excited him to no end.  
  
"Cordelia," he murmured her name. "Are you all right?"  
  
Her response was slow. She looked up at him for a moment with no recognition. Then a soft smile played out over her blackened lips.  
  
"Yep, I'm fine." Her voice was mellifluous and languid like honey. "I'm just a bit dizzy."  
  
With renewed strength he rose up to his full height, and looked down on her. She looked. strangely fragile, with the moonlight washing over her now very pale face. Her dress, that stopped midthigh, displayed her long legs very nicely. She was truly bewitching.  
  
'Untouchable.' He realized with surprising emotional agony.  
  
She was in a league all her own, up amongst the shining stars of the world. His damned hell-damned vampiric soul didn't even deserve the warmth and joy in her smile. Lowering himself to his knees, Angel fought mental demons in a losing battle. The gorgeous, fun-loving, gentle creature lying before him had somehow turned his world of black and white into an endless pallet of gray. Things that were once so clear now seemed blurry and jumbled. It oddly frightened him to know he had so little control of the blazing inferno of emotions that roared through him. Yet somehow, as he looked down on her twilight-kissed face, a sense of simplicity set in. It was as if all he need to know could be read in the depths of her eyes, and the curves of her face. She was his harbor in a storm that she, herself, unwittingly created.  
  
'And I can't even save her.' He spat out silently.  
  
There was an enormous amount of debris covering the exits, and he hadn't quite the strength yet to move it all and run them both out of the building.  
  
"You just sleep." He told her, gently stroking her hair.  
  
It was obvious that somehow she had figured out their situation, and was all the more uneasy. She did as she was told though, and snuggled close next to Angel's reclined form. All though she couldn't move her legs, she positioned her head so it lay just under his chin. He wrapped his arms around her for comfort and warmth, drawing her chilled body closer to his. Like lovers they lay, limbs entwined. One delicate hand rested on the arms that held her, the other somewhere in between them. With the warmth of her breath caressing his face, Angel slowly drifted into a darkened sleep.  
  
Lost in an intermingled feverish dream, neither noticed the hours slip away like sands in an hourglass. A whole day fell away. The sun rose in its brilliance auburn glory and danced across a clear blue sky. Birds sang and the wind whispered the secrets of the land. Then, reaching out its pink tipped arms, it said a final goodbye to Los Angeles and retreated to its night time hideout, leaving the full moon in its place. It was Angel who awoke first, drawn out of his death sleep by a craving for more blood.  
  
'I'll be fine for a few hours.' He told himself, staring down at the beautiful woman at his side.  
  
Serenity was written on her enchanting features, and he smiled in spite of himself. Waking her from whatever sweet dream she was probably having seemed almost a crime. Time wouldn't stop for them though, and if nothing else he needed to take advantage of the renewed energy sleep provided him. Sitting up, his bones groaned in protest. Sleeping on hard cement definitely wasn't the best say to stay. The mere thought of his bed back at the Hyperion drove him on. Turning back to his sleeping beauty, he stroked her cheek gently, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face.  
  
Cordelia's eyes opened slowly, lazily, and she stretched like a cat waking from its afternoon nap.  
  
"Good morning." She smiled idly up at him.  
  
Some of the color had returned to her cheeks, though it was hard to tell in the moonlight.  
  
"More like good night." He said with a smile, "How are you feeling?"  
  
She took a moment to ponder on that question.  
  
"I feel." she supposed, "like a vampire just got to me."  
  
Though the words brought a ping of guilt to Angel, her relaxed grin clarified that she was just fine. Casually hoping to his feet, he offered her a hand.  
  
"Think you can stand up?"  
  
She took it, and managed to haul herself into a sitting position, before the agonizing reality set it. Her legs didn't want to work.  
  
"Shit." She muttered. "This is peachy."  
  
Quickly Angel reviewed the situation, then nodded.  
  
"Don't worry about it." He told her slyly. Without warning, he scooped her up into his arms, and was rewarded with a small feminine scream.  
  
"Angel!" she exclaimed, fighting to be put down.  
  
The idea of walking wasn't at the top of her list, but it wasn't as embarrassing being carried around like some stupid damsel in distress.  
  
"Angel, put me down! I can walk just fine." she started to protest, but stopped instantly.  
  
His face mere inches from hers, his piercing eyes were staring at her with a mix of thrilling and puzzling emotions. A delicate blush crept up her cheeks, and she bit her lip unconsciously as she met his gaze sheepishly. Her heart rate increased tenfold and her breath caught in her throat, being in such close proximity with him. Against her own will, she felt like joining the ranks of all those piddling damsels and collapsing against the warmth of his chest in a feminine faint. Then it struck her.  
  
'What the hell? This is Angel!'  
  
Still, the temptation of his lips so close, so warm. it was overwhelming.  
  
"The more you move," he told her with huskiness in his voice. "The more difficult you'll make it."  
  
She looked away uneasily, trying to keep her emotions in check. It seemed to Cordy that he hadn't noticed at all the closeness between then, for in the next moment he was across the room. In a kick that appeared to take no effort at all, he kicked the cement block that barricaded the exit. As if it were wood, it broke easily in half, revealing a passageway out.  
  
(A/N = okay so this is just a rumor A RUMOR that I saw on a message board, but I heard that Cordy and Angel get together in the first couple of eps of the new season! Its only a rumor so don't come and egg my house if they're wrong but I thought you'd all wanna know. Thanks again for reviewing! Love you all! Wish me luck, school starts again on Tuesday!) 


	4. Chapter 4

12 HOURS LATER  
  
Cordelia's mind drifted slowly to consciousness, but she kept her eyes closed.  
  
'This must be a dream.' She told herself.  
  
Her body felt as if it were floating on a cloud. Warmth replaced the biting chill of the evening air, and the air had lost its foul stench.  
  
'Maybe I've died and I'm in heaven.'  
  
"I think she's coming around." A familiar voice echoed through the haze of her swimming senses.  
  
'Fred?'  
  
Slowly she opened her eyes. Sweet sunlight danced around her through the open window of. her hotel room?  
  
  
  
'Am I.'  
  
"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" Fred's voice came clearer this time, and Cordy managed to move her head enough to see the face of her friend.  
  
"Fred." she forced a weak smile, thrilled beyond reason to see a face she thought she'd never see again.  
  
Through the miasma of exhaustion and confusion, seeing the long red hair of the girl sitting beside her bed was a welcome tranquillity. It was short though, as she blinked and focused in on her surroundings. She was back at the Hyperion.  
  
'How the.'  
  
"How did I get back here?" Cordy asked, mustering up enough strength to push herself slightly upright against the numerous fluffy white pillows supporting her head.  
  
The red dress was sitting, folded up, on the chair at the other end of the room, she noted, and she was now wearing a dark blue tank top and gray PJ pants.  
  
'Must thank Fred later for that.'  
  
"Angel came in around 3 last night. You were asleep before your head hit the pillow." Fred said with a small laugh.  
  
At the mention of Angel's name, Cordelia's blood ran cold.  
  
"Angel! Oh God, where is he?" she spoke frantically, her words rushed. "Is he all right?" Fred smiled secretively, and nodded her head.  
  
"He's fine, just a bit hungry was all. Couple cuts and bruises, but nothing serious." She reassured her friend.  
  
With a relieved sigh, Cordy sank back into the pillows.  
  
"Where is he now?" she asked curiously. A bit too curiously, she thought, but it didn't really seem to matter.  
  
"Oh I kicked him out about an hour ago. I kept saying he needed his rest, but he insisted on staying here until you woke up." Fred informed her  
  
. Cordelia blushed, retracting into her own thoughts for a moment.  
  
'He stayed with me? All night?' A peculiar sense of warmth spread through her body at that thought, and a small smile touched her lips.  
  
"You want to get cleaned up or anything? Wesley bought pizzas, they're down in the lobby if you think you can make it that far." Fred said, rising to her feet.  
  
At the mere mention of food, Cordy's face lit up.  
  
"Oh, yum!" she exclaimed, and moved to push the covers off herself.  
  
She stopped mid-movement, and looked down at her legs.  
  
'Wait a minute.'  
  
They moved! Her legs were moving! Joy surged through her, and she nearly clapped her hands. She swung her now-animated limbs over the side of the bed. The feeling of soft carpet between her toes felt like heaven compared to the hours she'd spent walking in the heels. Her legs were jelly, and she nearly collapsed, but managed to steady herself on the bedside table.  
  
'Just wash my face and go down for pizza,' she told herself mentally. 'It can't be too hard can it?'  
  
Boy was she wrong. The instant she set her bare foot on the top of the stairs, cheery faces, and a multitude of hugs mobbed her. All of this she loved, and accepted with an array of smiles and laughs. Wesley told her his part of the adventure numerous times, each time adding in some new and exciting twist. With the gel out of her hair and the make-up off her face, Cordy felt comfortable and welcomed among all her friends and the thoughts of the last 48 hours nearly slipped from her mind.  
  
Until he walked in.  
  
Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, he entered the room unnoticed by the rest of the group. Cordelia noticed all too well and shivered as he swept passed the festivities without so much as a word; walking out to the patio. She stared after him, a plastic glass of Pepsi ( in her hand. He hadn't even so much as glanced in her direction, and his expression was stony and unresponsive as it sometimes was after a hard day of work. Sadness bubbled up in the pit of her stomach, and a lump formed in the back of her throat.  
  
'God, this is all my fault!' she spat out silently.  
  
Suddenly the party didn't seem quite so fun.  
  
"Don't worry about him." Fred spoke behind her.  
  
Cordy turned around, instantly masking her sadness. It wasn't appearing to work though, because Fred could see right through her happy smile.  
  
"He's probably just needs time to cool off, that's all." Cordy nodded her head, and sipped her soda slowly.  
  
"You think maybe I should go talk to him?" she asked, both praying and dreading that Fred would say yes.  
  
The woman wouldn't be so kind though. Instead, she answered open-endedly.  
  
"I think you should do whatever you think is right."  
  
The room and party faded away as Cordelia fell deep into thought. A million different paths to choose, a million different bends in the road; all seemed wrong. Too many complications to take into consideration, too many consequences if the path was wrong.  
  
'Do whatever I think is right huh?' she thought, taking a deep breath.  
  
Then, throwing all other feelings out the window, Cordelia set down her glass and followed Angel out into the patio. *** (A/N - okay, I know I haven't posted for a while *bad Ariel! Bad!* but high school is much harder than I thought it would be! ( there's one more post after this then its done! All done! I have to ask this now. Does anyone out there have a copy of the episode "Waiting in the Wings" ?? if you have it on tape email me right now! Right now! I have to talk to you before my head explodes! Or if you know where I could get a copy of that ep.. I'd be forever in your debt!!!!!! Love ya! Conclusion soon. Thanks for reviewing guys! Love you all!) 


	5. Chapter 5 final chapter!

Time slowed to a dream world standstill, fading into hazy shadows until only Angel remained. He towered over her, his mere presence demanding authority. "Yes?" she managed to squeak out, as she stared up into his smoldering gaze. When he spoke, his words were like fire; hypnotizing and dangerous. They had her trapped. "When we were down in the building and I needed blood, you have me yours. Why?" he asked her, keeping his tone even and low. "Well I." she stuttered out her words, melting under his hot glance. "We would've died." The memories of that event flooded through her veins like a sweet blaze. Her heart raced at the mere thought of Angel's lips at her neck. Shaking her head to clear it of such improper thoughts, she tried once more to meet his eyes. "Is that the reason?" he asked in a silky smooth voice. Cordelia felt herself sinking fast into his web of hypnotism. "What other reason would there be?" Her voice came in little more than a whisper then. It occurred to her that perhaps he was going to finish what he had started, and kill her. By the darkness in his eyes and the seductive silkiness in his voice, it was probably the most likely outcome. She was too far down though, to pull herself out and run. Whatever his plans were, she was lost to them.  
  
Angel stared down into Cordy's spellbound hazel eyes with wonderment. She was so innocent, so beautiful. How in the world he could've landed himself with this Earth-bound goddess for so long with out realizing exactly how much she meant was beyond him. Her skin was a healthy tan again, still soft as silk. All the make-up was gone from her face, leaving only her natural beauty. Her lips, a lucious red, tempted him dangerously. Fear and an unfulfilled wanting stared back at him from the depths of her captivating brown eyes. As if it had a life of its own, one hand reached up and touched her cheek gently, tracing her jaw line. "You're so beautiful." He told her in a whisper. Her eyes widened slightly and her lips parted in surprise at this statement. Angel couldn't hold back any longer, the draw of her unconscious sensuality was overpowering. Entangling his fingers into the burnished silk of her hair, he drew her forward and stole her lips in a passionate kiss.  
  
A breathtaking array of fireworks and heavenly light exploded around Angel's head as he stood, drinking in the taste of her. The satiny brilliance of her lips surpassed every daydream and fantasy he'd ever conjured up. She was tense at first, unsure of the occurrences. Within a few seconds though she loosened up, melting into him. It struck him as genius that their bodies fit so perfectly together, like two halves of a locket lost in the wide world only to be brought together again after a millennium of silent searching. His hunger for her was amazing, he could never get enough of the sugar-sweetness of her mouth. He deepened the kiss, a ferocious yearning clawing at every cell in his body - a yearning that only she could satisfy. It was beautiful, like dying with each passing moment in their own little universe. The chirping of the birds and the languid brush of the breeze circled the two, drawing their spirits together in a seductive and intimate dance of life and love.  
  
After what seemed like blissful eternity, Angel drew away to look into Cordelia's eyes. Her lips, swollen from his famished kiss, trembled slightly. Those striking eyes held secrets untold, of friendship blossoming into harmonious love. The gentle breeze picked up her hair, blowing in back from the beautiful face he held in his hands, letting it fly free. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, trying to read what she felt. It was the deciding moment. Depending on how she reacted, it could be the end of their friendship, or the beginning of something wonderful.  
  
Cordelia struggled to even breathe. She was shocked out of her mind, unsure of what everything in the world meant. Here was Angel, her business partner and best friend, standing over her with that gorgeous smile on his face that made her knees weak. 'He kissed me.' Her mind repeated over and over again. The thought was foreign, but the memory was as vivid as life. His mouth was hot, hungry, and sweet as honey and roses. The way he held her, touched her, made her feel for the first time in her life like she was truly wanted and loved. Her soul cried out for more. She felt as if he were life, and if he let her go she'd slip away into dreary nothingness. The smallest of smiles flitted across her lips, as she leaned in once more and kissed him. Their kiss was soft this time, gentle; with all the love and passion of the first but tender as the sunlight that spilled over them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, craving a closeness that would never be fully satisfied. "Does this mean that you love me?" she asked with a small smile in between kisses. "More than life." He told her, his voice husky. She pulled away slightly and smiled up at him. "Good," she said, stealing a final kiss. "Because I love you too." With that, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, fitting her body into his. She snaked an arm around his waist, and the two walked lazily back to the party to join their friends.  
  
  
  
(A/N= I'm finally done!!!!! OMG, thank you all all all for reading! I love you guys so much! I wanna thank Scifichick774, cause I know you were reading every single one of my posts. Thanks tons! If I forgot any of you, I'm soooooooooooooo sorry! Oh, guess what? We placed 9th in CG competition! Okay, so yeah. Love you all!) 


End file.
